Tottenham: Mauricio Pochettino Always Wanted Two Strikers
Tottenham have used two strikers together before, but not up top at the same time until yesterday.
Two years ago Tottenham had three center forwards, but Harry Kane was Mauricio Pochettino’s first-choice striker to lead the attack.
When Roberto Soldado would get subbed into the match, Kane dropped deeper into a secondary striker/attacking midfield role.
It was a first glimpse at the possibility of two strikers playing together. Since then, it never returned until yesterday.
Against Crystal Palace, Pochettino played with both Harry Kane and Vincent Janssen up top in a 4-2-2-2 formation.
The results looked promising even though Kane and Janssen scored no goals.
must read: Five Takeaways: Tottenham 1-0 Crystal Palace
Because Harry Kane needed a partner the last two seasons, Vincent Janssen was a priority signing for Spurs.
Initially, he was supposed to come off of the bench in relief.
But playing as well as he did against Everton last week (and Inter Milan in pre-season), it made Mauricio Pochettino realize that a two striker formation can work.
Speaking to the media following Spurs’ 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, Pochettino talked about wanting to play with two strikers when he signed with Spurs.
“I remember when I arrived here, I wanted him [Harry] to play with another striker,” Pochettino said (via London Evening Standard).
“You could see Harry was more free. He had a lot of chances to score, to shoot – a lot, a lot – more than at Everton [last weekend’s 1-1 draw].”
“I think it was a very good combination.”
Even Harry Kane believes that him and Janssen would be a good partnership.
“I thought we played very well together today, we created a lot of chances and on another day we could have both had a couple of goals so it’s an exciting partnership, Kane said (via Tottenham’s official site).
“I’m sure you’ll see more of it this season and we’re looking forward to it.”
While incorporating two strikers works great up top, one less attacking midfielder will be on the pitch as a result.
And the one who was dropped was Dele Alli due to illness.
With Spurs needing a spark, Alli provided it instantly when he was introduced into the game.
It’s a reminder that even at his young age, Dele Alli is a game-changer on this squad.
Once Alli’s fully fit, figuring out who starts or not will be something to manage carefully this season should Spurs continue to use two strikers together.
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Based on certain match-ups, a two striker formation can work.
At the same time, it would be good to use other systems when teams find a counter to what works.
For example, teams who hunker down has worked well against Tottenham when they use a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Once teams figure out how to limit the damage done by Spurs’ two strikers, what will Pochettino do to counteract managers who have stifled his game plan?
Mauricio Pochettino last season showed that he can use different tactics based on who they’re facing: 4-3-3 against Qarabağ or a 3-5-2 against Watford.
Adding these two formations to go along with the 4-2-2-2 and 4-2-3-1 will make Spurs multi-dimensional and essentially difficult to match-up against on a weekly basis.
The Argentine manager wanted to use two strikers from the beginning but surely he could alter his lineup some more to work in his team’s advantage as the season wears on.
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As for Janssen not being able to score a goal yesterday, Mauricio Pochettino was quick to point out what happened to Kane’s slow start last season, before he won the Golden Boot award.
“It was the same last season with Harry,” Pochettino added.
“I’m worried when it’s impossible for them to have chances to score.”
“When, like today, Vincent had lots of chances, it’s about luck or being a bit more clinical.”